


thank you for loving him

by Ablissa



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, In-Laws, M/M, outside pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 15:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17664791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ablissa/pseuds/Ablissa
Summary: Her boys.They've both changed so much over the years, but some things always stay the same... like the way they look at each other.--Phil's birthday is tomorrow. Dan, Phil, Martyn and Cornelia are visiting the parents on Isle of Man. Written in Kath's point of view.





	thank you for loving him

**Author's Note:**

  * For [insectbah (Flora_The_Entomologist)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flora_The_Entomologist/gifts).



> This is a small birthday present for my wonderful friend and beta reader, [insectbah](http://insectbah.tumblr.com) :)  
> Happy Birthday! I hope you're having a fantastic day, and thank you for everything that you do <3 I also hope this will make you smile :)
> 
> Thank you to the lovely [obsessivelymoody](http://obsessivelymoody.tumblr.com) for beta reading this one for me!

They'll be here soon.

Yes, really soon. Soon the house will fill with the sound of conversation, and everyone will be talking over each other to say their hellos and ask their how are yous. She absolutely cannot wait.

It's not that the house is normally quiet, because they have people staying over quite often, but it's different when their children are visiting, and Kath finds it hard to sit still.

She reads the text she'd gotten from Martyn, telling her they've landed, and checks how much time had passed since then. Enough time. They ought to be here really soon.

 

As usual, Kath spent the morning preparing for their arrival. And maybe the day before, but she won't tell them about _that_.

She tidied the bedroom designated for Phil and Dan, and despite Nigel's protests, she went as far as to put a garland of sorts at the foot of the bed. It's colourful, it says _happy birthday_ , and it will inevitably make both her boys laugh. She also prepared a room for Martyn and Cornelia, and while there are no garlands in there, she made sure to use the sheets Cornelia loved so much the last time they stayed over.

She tidied the rest of the house too of course, even though Nigel said everything was already spotless. Her husband, despite his many virtues, doesn't quite have the perception that she does – at least not when it comes to finding dust on the shelves or a spill on the tablecloth.

Oh, and she cooked – she cooked for hours on end. Of course. But then she loves cooking, so it hardly felt like a chore. Besides, it was for her children, and thus, it was inevitably worth it.

There's still the cake waiting to be made later today, but she's got all the ingredients for that.

Or…

"I'm going to check if we have enough flour for the cake," she announces, springing out of the sofa.

Her husband looks up from his newspaper, rolling his eyes at her with a warm smile.

"You've already checked twice, you mad woman," he calls after her, but she's already on her way to the pantry.

"You can never be sure!" she calls back, opening the cupboards.

Unsurprisingly, there _is_ enough flour for about five birthday cakes, but the truth is, she just can't bear to sit on the sofa and wait any longer. She'll put on her coat and go wait in the garden. Yes, that'll do.

Kath makes her way back to the lounge, finding her husband exactly where she'd left him.

"We'll wait for them outside," she states. It's not much of a suggestion.

The deep sigh that she hears is no news to her, but she knows what will follow. Nigel smiles at her, shakes his head ever so slightly, and does as he's told.

"They won't get here any quicker if you stand out in the cold dear, you _do_ know that?"

"Your son's birthday is tomorrow, Nigel. He deserves a proper welcome," she says over her shoulder, already on her way to the hall, getting her coat.

"Is it his _first_ birthday by any chance? You seem just as excited as you were back then, I swear," he chides, accepting the jacket she's handing him. "We've seen them a month ago, love."

Kath is about to playfully defend herself, but they are both interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up the driveway.

"They're here!" she practically squeals, which might be a little undignified at her age, but it's like Nigel sometimes tells her – she's _timeless_. She can bloody well squeal if that is what she wants to do.

She's already out the door by the time her husband's zipped up his jacket, and moments later, she's greeted by the very welcome sight of her children stepping out of their rented car.

She hears a chorus of _hi mum_ and _hi Kath_ as she rushes to meet them, with Nigel slowly catching up to her.

 

She hugs Phil first, of course. It's not his birthday until tomorrow, but he's her youngest and in a way, still her little boy. She then hugs Dan, who stands right by Phil.

Dan is carrying their shared bag, so he only returns the hug with one arm, but Kath wraps both of hers around his middle, acutely aware of how tall Dan is in comparison to her.

How did her son manage to find himself a boy even taller than he is? Kath and Cornelia are always left to feel tiny among the rest of the family, but they both like to say that it only adds to their charm.

 

More hugs follow along with the usual set of questions as they make their way inside the house.

"How was your flight?" Nigel asks them all, and the replies come pouring in.

"It was a little shaky," Phil says. "I don't like those tiny little planes."

"It _was_ very cramped," Dan agrees and then adds, "but we're always happy to visit, so it was worth it."

Kath beams at him. She sees Phil roll his eyes at Dan, nudging him slightly as he takes off his jacket.

"The flight was lovely, don't listen to them. Martyn snored the whole way through," Cornelia says with a smile.

"Slander in my own home!" Martyn exclaims. " _Phil_ was snoring. I never snore. Besides, it's such a short flight. I only just barely dozed off."

Kath feels her heart fill up with affection as she observes the four of them. Cornelia has to stand on her tiptoes to hang up her hat, one of the ones that Roz gifts them every now and then. Martyn, instead of helping her directly, places his hands on her waist and lifts her up, allowing her to do it herself.

"How come _you_ don't do that with me?" Dan says to Phil, nodding at Martyn and Cornelia.

"You _really_ want me to try?"

Dan pouts slightly, mulling it over. "No, you'd drop me and I'd die. Nevermind."

Phil shrugs, not disagreeing.

"Phil has never been the most coordinated child," Kath agrees, much to Dan's delight. Before her younger son manages to loudly protest, she asks them all, "Anyone hungry?"

"We're _so_ hungry," Dan responds, glancing at Phil, who nods in agreement.

"Come on then, enough standing around!" Kath says, playfully pushing the five of them out of the hall. "Who's going to help me make tea?"

Kath isn't surprised when it's Dan that volunteers first. The only thing that still surprises her is that after over nine years, he still seems keen to impress her.

 

-

 

It's awfully convenient that Dan is the one to follow Kath to the kitchen, as she wants to discuss her plans for Phil's birthday with him. She has him start making tea and coffee, smiling to herself as he navigates her kitchen expertly, knowing where things are. Phil, her very own son, hasn't got the slightest idea - but his boyfriend finds his way without a moment of doubt.

 

Dan makes coffee for her,  himself and Phil before having to run back to the lounge and take everyone else's orders.

She glances at him out of the corner of her eye as she's making them some fancy little sandwiches, and she can't help smiling.

"How are you, Dan?" she asks him. "How are things?"

"Oh, we're doing good," Dan replies, pausing what he was doing and turning towards her fully. "We've been taking it easy this month. Not much YouTube and things like that. But we did have a few meetings, and we've looked at some houses."

Kath doesn't miss the fact that while her question was _how are you_ , Dan answers as though she asked him _how are you and Phil_. The resounding _we_ in every sentence does not go amiss. Her smile only grows wider.

"Oh yes, Phil told me. Did you find anything you like yet?"

"We're torn between two. Phil likes one of them better because there's a garden for the dog. The other one is a penthouse, actually. Feels a bit more our style."

She doesn't even try to prompt him into talking about himself. She's long learned that these two are almost inseparable. Sometimes talking to Dan is actually a good way to find out things about Phil, because her son, while all sorts of wonderful, is also quite forgetful. She'll ask him what he's been up to and he doesn't remember a thing. It's Dan that always fills her in later.

"Well, a garden is nice," she says inconsequentially, not truly looking to influence them.

Dan smiles a little absently, looking up for a few seconds, then nodding. "Yeah, a garden would be nice. But Phil would kill every bit of green in there."

She snorts. She's placing the sandwiches down on one of her finest platters, one of those that are reserved for special guests. Meanwhile, Dan is finishing the last of the drinks.

"I remember when he wanted to surprise me one Mother's Day. He thought I'd be happy if he planted some roses in the garden." She smiles at the memory. "D'you know what he did?"

"What?" Dan asks with amusement.

"He stole some roses off our neighbour's garden, and just sort of... buried them in the ground in ours. He dug up some of my peonies to make space for the roses." Dan starts laughing, and she joins in. "He was maybe six or seven? You should have seen his face when our neighbour came to our house, shouting about his roses."

"I can easily imagine. It's probably the same face he still makes when I catch him leaving his socks all over."

Kath is about to remark on how Nigel does the exact same thing, but they are both interrupted by Cornelia, peeking into the kitchen with a grin.

"I was sent here to check if you two are gossiping," she says. "Can I join in?"

"Kath was just telling me a funny story about Phil," Dan reveals, picking up the tray.

Kath picks up one plate and Cornelia takes the other one without being asked.

"I'm sure I've got more where that came from," Kath says, following the two out of the kitchen. "Oh, Dan, we need to talk about the cake later."

 

-

 

"Mum, I can't believe you told Dan about the rose thing!" Phil whines when they all sit down to eat dinner. "He's never gonna let me have a garden now."

"You can't even keep a _cactus_ alive, Phil. What do you need a whole garden for?" Dan teases him in reply.

"For the dog!"

"Dogs can live without a garden. We'll take it on plenty of walks. And anyway, you've always wanted to live in a penthouse."

Kath doesn't even try to hide the fact that she's watching. Phil and Dan are sat together, side by side, close enough that their elbows get in the way when they start eating, focused solely on each other.

Kath glances at Nigel, who is also observing the two. When he feels her stare, he exchanges a knowing look with her, a small grin playing on his lips.

"But Winston would be so much _happier_ with a garden." When Phil speaks, his voice reminds Kath of all the times he tried to get her to give him dessert before dinner.

Dan looks at him in a way that Kath can only call _fond exasperation_.

"Oh, the dog that we haven't even adopted yet is called Winston now, is he?" Dan asks. He must have felt Kath's eyes on him, because he turns towards her, shaking his head while still smiling.

"I wouldn't trust Phil with a dog," Nigel pitches in. "If it turns out like the hamsters did, you'll end up with _ten_ dogs."

"See? See?" Dan exclaims in triumph. "Thank you, Nigel. The voice of reason this family needs."

Kath can't help but snort when Phil pouts. She could swear he appears to be about five years old when he does that.

 _He's all grown now_ , she thinks as she observes the way he looks at Dan.

"We're still getting a dog," Phil states in a voice that does not allow any kind of protest.

Dan shrugs. "Of course we are, you dingus."

Of course they are.

 

-

 

The day just flies by in a blur of happy moments.

Kath works on the cake with Dan's help, because it's meant to be a surprise for Phil. Dan is not as much help as Kath could really use, but his company is lovely. Despite that, she can't help but enjoy teasing him about last year's cake, the one that had strange writing on it that Kath didn't quite _want_ to understand the meaning of.

She hears him talk about their upcoming plans in terms of work, and he admits that he's likely going to give in and they'll just buy the house. _Maybe we'll watch some tutorials about gardening or something_ , Dan concedes on the whole garden issue, a faraway, joyful look in his eyes.

She watches him as he stirs the ingredients in the bowl. Just like her Phil, Dan grew up too. She remembers the first time she'd seen him – very young, shorter than her Phil, boyish and shy. He's far different now, but at heart, he's mostly the same. He was always a good egg.

Most of all, she remembers the way her Phil looked at Dan when introducing him to them as his boyfriend. She _knew_ right away it would be a serious kind of thing – a mother's instinct is never wrong on things like that. Nigel thought it wouldn't last, but she knew better.

She was right, wasn't she? She was. She usually is.

 

-

 

"That turned out so much better than last year's," Dan says bashfully when the cake is finished, all bright and colourful with a _Happy Birthday Phil_ written on top. "You're amazing, Kath."

"Oh, shush now, it was the both of us," she protests. She's standing next to him, and she lays one of her hands on Dan's shoulder, having to reach up quite a bit. "At least I know what this one says."

He flushes slightly, pursing his lips so as not to laugh.

 

They soon rejoin the others, the cake left in the fridge to cool for tomorrow.

 

-

 

It's past midnight when the film they're watching finally ends.

Nigel has long since dozed off in the arm chair. Martyn and Cornelia occupy the smaller sofa, and Kath, Dan and Phil sit on the bigger one. Kath nudges her husband, leaning forward, and wakes him.

"Bedtime for you, old man," she says.

"Bedtime for us all, I think," Martyn clarifies. "I'm knackered."

Cornelia nods in agreement, and Phil stands up too, followed by Dan.

"Are we wishing you happy birthday yet, love?" Kath asks Phil, who shakes his head.

"It's not tomorrow until I wake up," he says the same way he did when he was a little boy.

He's not so little anymore, but he's still her little Phil. Will _always_ be her little Phil.

She pulls him into a tight hug that he happily returns. She then proceeds to hug the others, watching as they all disperse to their bedrooms – first Martyn and Cornelia, then Phil and Dan.

 

They walk hand in hand, Phil waving good night to her and Nigel, then turning back towards Dan, who gently lays his hand on the small of Phil's back. As they begin walking up the stairs, Phil first and Dan by his side but one step behind, she sees Dan say something to Phil, who tilts his head to give him a loving look.

She can't hear what Dan said, but she guesses it to be something along the lines of _happy birthday_ , and her heart grows three sizes at the sight of it.

Her boys. They've both changed so much over the past years, and yet, the way they look at each other remains the same.

 

Who would have thought things would turn out the way they did? Their lives, their careers? It's certainly unusual, what they do, how they live. It has its perks, but it also has its downsides.

And yet, every single day, Kath remains grateful that Phil found Dan. She couldn't imagine anyone better suited for her son.

 

As Dan and Phil turn a corner and completely disappear from sight, Kath thinks how Dan is not quite her son-in-law, not yet, but he might as well be. And she couldn't be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblogs on tumblr are very welcome :) ](http://phanbliss.tumblr.com/post/182569164735/thank-you-for-loving-him)  
> Thank you for reading!


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